Sustainability Adds Value on the Job Market

A recent study from Arizona State University's School of Business shows that graduates with a sustainability concentration in combination with a traditional major have a huge advantage when it comes to landing a job.

W. P. Carey School of Business professor Kevin Dooley, who authored the research, analyzed about 100 job postings related to sustainability and surveyed about 200 managers and executives from small, medium and large companies. Across the board, companies valued sustainability training. In the surveys, 65% of small-company respondents 87% of large-firm respondents said they would consider a sustainability concentration when making a hiring decision. An impressive 97.5% of the large-firm executives said they would value the concentration.

Dooley said job applicants who receive “golden opportunities” are those with dual degrees in sustainability and another professional field. “There is an indication that companies are beginning to hire executives in sustainability-related positions, and it won’t be too long before these executives fill out their staffs with lower-level positions."

Similarly, a recent report by the Ecotech Institute shows that experience in sustainability, energy efficiency, renewable energy and similar knowledge are important across a growing number of jobs in traditional business sectors. The organization produces the Clean Jobs Index, which measures the location and prevalence of all types of green jobs across the United States.